


Pull In

by soroga



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Cat cameo, Feelings Realization, M/M, Pre-Timeskip, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:15:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22699255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soroga/pseuds/soroga
Summary: Ashe thought maybe it was the light playing tricks on him when he saw a bit of color creep over Felix’s face. Then he peered closer and saw the tips of his ears had definitely turned red.“You’re staring,” Felix said abruptly, still not looking at Ashe.
Relationships: Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Felix Hugo Fraldarius
Comments: 20
Kudos: 103
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 5





	Pull In

**Author's Note:**

  * For [crocustongues](https://archiveofourown.org/users/crocustongues/gifts).



“You really didn’t have to wait for me,” Ashe said, the last few words getting swallowed up in a yawn he couldn’t suppress as he dragged himself through the corridor towards the student quarters.

“Hmph.” Felix crossed his arms as he walked, looking much less affected by the late hour. “It’s fine. You didn’t take that much longer than I did.” 

“Is that so?” Ashe had noticed Felix setting aside his copy of the close-range tactics treatise the Professor had assigned them at least an hour before, but maybe the book he’d picked up after had been for another assignment. “Well, I appreciate you staying with me, anyway. It’s a lot easier to pass the time studying when you’re with a friend.” 

“Whatever,” Felix grumbled. “It had to get done. Might as well do it in the library.”

“I mean it,” Ashe said. “I really appreciated you staying with me last week, too.” Ashe didn’t know why Felix had chosen to study with him then either, since they had both been hopelessly confused by the Reason reading, but he’d appreciated it then as well. Somehow, having Felix beside him made the work less daunting, whether Felix was an expert in it or he was frustrated to the point of growling. “The way you kept at it made me want to stick with it, too. You’re really inspiring.” 

“That’s enough,” Felix said, hunching his shoulders. “I did the same thing you did. No need to praise me for it.” He looked away before he added, “...you have plenty of admirable qualities of your own.” 

“Really?” Ashe asked, smiling. “That means a lot, coming from you!”

The rough stone walls of Garreg Mach were lit fairly evenly with blazing torches, so they weren’t exactly stumbling in the dark. Still, Ashe thought maybe it was just the light playing tricks on him when he saw a bit of color creep over Felix’s face, until he peered closer and saw the tips of his ears had definitely turned red. 

“You’re staring,” Felix said abruptly, still not looking at Ashe.

“Oh! Sorry.” Ashe snapped his head forward to focus on the walk too. 

Naturally, they reached Felix’s room first. Ashe would have to go down the stairs and swing past the Professor and Dedue’s room to get to his. But it turned out that, despite the late hour, they weren’t alone.

“Oh!” Ashe said, crouching down to get a better look at the cat sitting in the hall right outside Felix’s room. It was a handsome little guy, covered in soft-looking orange fur everywhere except its chest, its chin, and one of its forepaws, which were white. Its coat was short enough that Ashe could see the lines of its belly clearly; someone was keeping it well-fed.

He doubted he'd get a chance to pet that belly, but maybe he'd get to scratch behind its ears. “Hey there. It's nice to meet you.” He offered his hand to be sniffed. 

The cat turned its disinterested gaze from Felix’s door long enough to look at his hand and then pointedly look away.

Ashe huffed out a laugh, not too offended by the snub. “Maybe some other time,” he said, standing again and turning towards Felix.

Felix had pulled his crossed arms close enough to his chest that they almost looked like a stand-in for a shield. It didn't help that he was looking away just as deliberately as the cat. “It’s late. You should go to your room,” he said.

Ashe frowned. “Do you not like cats?” 

Felix’s shoulders moved in a stiff shrug. “I don’t dislike them,” he muttered. 

He still wasn’t looking at the cat, but the cat looked at him very deliberately before it walked up to Felix’s door and started scratching at it, at which point Felix’s expression morphed into a resigned grimace.

Ashe looked from Felix to the cat as it all clicked together. “I didn’t know you had a cat!” Ashe said.

“I don’t _have_ a cat,” Felix said. “He’s a monastery cat. He doesn’t belong to anyone. He’s here to catch mice and that’s it.” 

The cat kept scratching at Felix’s door, as if to spite Felix.

Ashe smiled. “It looks like he belongs to you,” he said. “I think that’s really wonderful! It must be nice to have a pet.” 

“I don’t – ” Felix cut himself off with a disgusted noise. “He’s not mine. He just likes to sleep in my room because it’s cold at night. He’d act the same way towards any warm body.”

But that meant...“You sleep with him?” Ashe asked. “That’s – ” _cute_ almost slipped out of his mouth, which startled him so badly that he stopped mid-sentence instead.

But what Ashe had already said seemed enough to bring Felix to the end of his tolerance. He jerked past Ashe to wrench his door open. “Good _night_ , Ashe,” he said as the cat darted inside, his back still to Ashe, and then he slammed the door shut behind him.

Ashe walked the rest of the way to his room in a daze. He’d always thought of Felix as tenacious and strong, someone with countless admirable qualities, but he’d never thought of Felix as cute. But it was hard to pick another word for the way the blush had crept over his face. Or the way he’d paused to let the cat in before shutting the door, even though he had been so embarrassed to admit the cat was his. 

Ashe put his hand over his eyes as he collapsed onto his bed. He turned his head to the side to muffle the sudden burst of laughter that came over him in his pillow. He’d been exhausted a few minutes ago, but all of a sudden he felt almost giddy. He thought of the look on Felix’s face when he’d said _you have plenty of admirable qualities of your own_ and his stomach swooped.

“Oh,” he murmured. 

Then he made himself get up and start getting ready for bed. He’d have to find a way to sleep; he was determined to do well in class, and he couldn’t do that if he was too exhausted to pay attention during lectures. 

But maybe, if he brought some fish with him or something, Felix would let him in to see his cat tomorrow.


End file.
